This time, it’s about my vision board. When I started my career as a Thought Leader, helping people find clarity, building an audience, publishing their content and growing their influence, impact and income, I set my intentions and put up pictorial representations of my intentions on my vision board.
I cut up pictures of awards and people receiving awards from magazines and put them up on my vision board. There were a lot of other things too, but the one about awards was important to me.
I understood that to effectively teach on influence, I must become the embodiment of that which I teach.
I knew I must work hard and smart and show up consistently.
I knew I must forge good relationships with influential people who looked like what I wanted to look like.
I knew that I must set my goals weekly, monthly and yearly, and stick to them, no matter what anyone said.
I knew that I would become like the proverbial lizard who nods at himself for his good work when no one else does.
I knew that I couldn’t afford to wait for opportunities, I had to create my own.
I knew that I had to celebrate myself and all my achievements openly and on social media, because no one would do it for me.
I knew the value of building a large audience of amazing people who know me, like me and trusted me.
I knew that in time, if I worked at getting results and I celebrated those results long enough, eventually, other people would begin to notice and soon, celebrate me too.
What is an award nomination? An award nomination is simply a representation of notice. It simply means that people notice you enough to deem you worthy of public celebration.
I understand the power of getting nominated for awards, especially the high profile ones. I know what it has done for those before me. I know how it increased their brand value and influence.
Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that you don’t need awards and recognition from external sources when growing your influence. I can tell you for free that you do.
It took me 3 years of setting my intentions and doing all the right things to eventually get recognized and acknowledged.
Let me digress a bit: I didn’t pay for any of them. That’s just ridiculous and doesn’t make sense. What’s the point in paying people to recognize you? You might as well just go and make a plaque of your own to celebrate yourself. Never pay for an award. The feeling is not as sweet as when it comes to you on its own.
Back to my story.
I heard the story of how John Obidi got nominated for The Future Awards Africa Prize for New Media in 2013 and how it exploded his brand, and I said to myself that one day, I’ll get nominated in the same category
John Obidi got nominated again for the same category. He was in Brazil at the time and asked me to represent him at the nominees reception where they were giving the nominees their certificates.
It was Banky W who presented the nominee certificates for his category. You can imagine the shock when the name John Obidi was called and a woman was the one who came forward to collect certificate. It became a running joke that day as everyone began referring to me as John.
Banky W said something to me that day and I reiterated it. He said, “Don’t worry, you’ll soon come and pick your own”. I said to him, “Next year, I’ll be back for mine”.
I didn’t get nominated for The Future Awards Africa Prize for New Media the following year. I got nominated for The Future Awards Africa Prize for MEDIA. Not just in new media, but in traditional media as well.
In fact, I didn’t get nominated for one Award, I won a total of 3 out of 6 award nominations that year alone!
Awardee: Ladies of Honour Award for Leadership
Awardee: Iconic Brand Award for Young Personality of the Year
Awardee: GetUp Youth Africa Hero Award
Nominee: The Future Awards Africa Prize for Media
Nominee: The Entrepreneur Africa Award for New Media Brand of the Year
Nominee: Unsung Heroes Award for Exceptional Millennial of the Year
I had a picture of an award on my vision board for 3 years. Nothing happens in 2016, 2017 and 2018, but in 2019, I got double what I asked for, for every year I waited.
This is a message to someone reading this, who has had the same thing on their vision board for years. Just because it hasn’t happened yet, doesn’t mean it won’t happen. You just have to trust that it will come at the right time, when you are ready to receive it.
This year, everything I put up on my vision board came to pass, my board is now empty.
